Maybe use a roadmap with dates? I know it's hard to pinpoint a date but if you had a road map with the estimated quarter... And if you communicated why you had to push it to later... I understand communication is a dual edged sword but that's what it's for!

So many EA titles go radio silent with no road map. Then we wonder whats happening after six+ months of silence.

Runescape Dragonwilds is a prime example of how to do EA. Roadmap, expected dates, and reasons why a certain feature didn't get pushed out on the said date.